Carolyn R. Raines
Partner
Business Litigation, Securities and Director and Officer Litigation
Phone: 214-855-3092
Direct Fax: 214-758-3724
Email: craines@ccsb.com
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Ms. Raines is a partner at Carrington Coleman. Her practice is focused on business and securities litigation, including complex class actions and arbitrations. Ms. Raines has extensive litigation experience in state and federal courts in diverse industries. Her creative, innovative thinking and excellent writing skills have led to very favorable results for clients.
Ms. Raines has experience representing clients in numerous significant matters, including representing officers and directors of public companies in state and federal court against claims for violations of federal and state securities laws, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and conspiracy; representing credit card processors against claims by issuers and merchants for violations of the Visa Rules; representing investment firms and registered representatives in customer disputes and regulatory actions involving issues of unsuitability, misrepresentations, excessive markups, unauthorized trading, breach of fiduciary duty, and violations of federal and state securities laws; representing major insurance companies in premium litigation and multi-state class actions challenging industry practices; and representing companies in disputes involving the PCS auctions conducted by the Federal Communications Commission.
Ms. Raines also represents clients in disputes concerning employment and non-competition contracts, manufacturing contracts, construction contracts, partnership agreements, insurance policies, real estate investments, defamation, and a wide assortment of other contract claims and torts.
Representative Matters
▪ Represented officers and directors of a large bankrupt food distribution company against claims by the company’s bankruptcy trustee alleging, among other things, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, negligence, fraudulent transfers. Plaintiff asserted 27 different causes of action against 26 defendants and sought over $300 million in alleged damages. The parties reached a confidential settlement.
▪ Represented eight former outside directors and the former general counsel of a bankrupt corporation that was the country’s largest food wholesaler. Our clients were sued in several securities class actions and shareholder derivative suits brought in Texas and Oklahoma state and federal courts. The case was settled within policy limits after a mediation before discovery commenced.
▪ Took over the representation of a limited partner after entry of a summary judgment finding that the client had breached his fiduciary duty to the partnership by competing against the partnership in the PCS auctions conducted by the Federal Communications Commission. During the course of the trial on damages, the trial court reversed the summary judgment ruling and the jury verdict resulted in a take nothing judgment in favor of our client.
▪ Represented a large merchant acquirer and credit card payment processor in a lawsuit in federal court in Delaware. Plaintiff, an issuer of Visa and MasterCard credit cards, alleged that our client had improperly processed certain credit card transactions on behalf of a large merchant. Plaintiff was seeking approximately $33.5 million in damages. The parties reached a confidential settlement.
▪ Represented client in claims for fraud and violations of state and federal securities laws in Texas federal court and criminal restitution proceedings in Connecticut federal court against a portfolio manager that was involved in an elaborate fraudulent scheme to artificially increase the rate of return earned on the investments owned by his hedge fund and dramatically increase the management and performance fees paid by the hedge fund to the portfolio manager. Obtained a very favorable settlement for our client.
▪ Represented the Audit Committee of what had formerly been one of the nations largest distributors of computer supplies against claims for breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, negligence, fraudulent transfers, among other claims. The case was settled within policy limits after extensive discovery.
▪ Represented insurance broker and company against claims for violations of non-compete agreement and trade secret litigation.
▪ Represented limited partner against claims for fraud, conversion, defamation, and negligence arising from the bankruptcy of a large real estate development. During trial, the parties reached a settlement very favorable to our client.
▪ Represented a large manufacturing company in lawsuit against a major customer that breached its exclusive requirements contract. The parties reached a settlement after conducting expert discovery on damages.
▪ Represented two attorneys in a case alleging RICO violations, fraud, and other causes of action arising out of an alleged conspiracy between certain lawyers and chiropractors to defraud the plaintiff insurance company in connection with personal injury claims. Plaintiff dismissed our clients prior to responding to their motion to dismiss.
▪ Represented an investment firm in a disciplinary proceedings alleging violations of the FINRA rules and federal securities laws relating to the markups on millions of dollars of U.S. Treasury STRIPS.
▪ Represented the former independent directors of a Fortune 500 company in derivative litigation arising out of the stock option backdating controversy. The consolidated lawsuits were pending simultaneously in three separate forums in two states. The parties reached a settlement.
▪ Represented the former CEO of a major global corporation that supplies pumps, valves, seals automation, and services to the power, oil, gas, and chemical industries in securities class action and related shareholder derivative litigation. After two years of discovery, on the eve of trial, the Court denied class certification and granted summary judgment on all claims. The matter settled after an appeal.
▪ Represented a regional brokerage firm and have handled numerous matters (many in arbitration) regarding securities and other issues involved in broker-client relationships.
▪ Represented a brokerage firm against complaints and arbitration proceedings initiated by several clients relating to an option trading program that the broker represented would never result in losses to the clients.
▪ Represented a brokerage firm in lawsuit against insurer of fidelity bond for losses sustained by the firm because of an elaborate fraud and forgery scheme implemented by one the firm’s brokers. The matter was settled prior to the depositions of insurer’s employees.
▪ Represented large insurance company in class actions in 13 different states challenging insurance industry practices relating to the premiums for complex business insurance.
Education
Southern Methodist University
J.D., with honors, 1993
Member: Order of the Coif,
Southern Methodist Law Review
Texas Tech University
B.B.A., 1986
Associations/Affiliations
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas, Inc., Board of Directors
Altrusa International, Inc. of Downtown Dallas, Member
Executive Women of Dallas, Board of Directors
Dallas Bar Association and American Bar Association, Member
National Association of Women Lawyers, Member
Admittances
Texas 1993
U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Texas
Speeches/Publications
Author, D&O Insurance When the Company Goes Broke, Dallas Bar Association, Headnotes, Vol. 34, No. 8, August 2010.
Author, What to Tell a Panicked Client about Class Actions, Commercial and Business Litigation, American Bar Association, Vol. 10, Issue 2, 2009.
Author, Courts Struggle to Define the Parameters of Honest Services Fraud in the Private Sector, November, 2007.
Author, International Litigation in U.S. Federal Courts and Ontario, Canada: Two Systems Compared, American Bar Association, Commercial and Business Litigation, Vol. 8, Issue 4, 2007.
Author, When Negligence is Not Enough: Proving Causation in a Litigation Malpractice Case, American Bar Association, Commercial and Business Litigation, Vol. 8, Issue 1, 2006. Reprinted, American Bar Association, Professional Liability Litigation Alert, Vol. IV, Issue 1, 2007.
